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  • Three Plants That Have Potential In Plant Medicine

Blog

29 Dec

Three Plants That Have Potential In Plant Medicine

  • By Pre-Health Shadowing Team
  • In Blog

About the Author: Ferzana Niazi

Ferzana has a Bachelor's degree in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. She loves to write about science and health. In the future she wants to be a doctor and help individuals in medically underserved areas.

Since the early years of the anthropocene, humankind has heavily relied on various plants to provide effective therapies in treating a myriad of ailments. One common example is obtaining salicylic acid from willow bark, which is the key ingredient in aspirin. Acetic acid chemically reacts with salicylic acid to form aspirin, which is used for pain relief and anti-clotting. Apart from aspirin, this article will introduce you to three plants imperative to good health.Punica granatum, Rhodiola rosea L.,and Althaea officinalis L.are three plants that havegreat benefits to individuals with high blood pressure, cancer, and neurodegenerative disorders (Shaygannia et al., 2016). Eachbenefit corresponds to the order of the plants written. These three plants have been traditionally used to soothe pain and discomfort within the body.

 
 
Pomegranate, (Punica granatum)

Many studies have proven that different parts of the pomegranate lower blood pressure; especially pomegranate juice and seed oil. The antihypertensive effects of pomegranate are very beneficial with individuals who have high blood pressure. Pomegranate seed oil also has an inhibitory effect on various cancers. Pregnant women may find it beneficial to use this plant to alleviate nausea and vomiting (Eltay et al., 2021). There is substantial evidence thatPunica granatumis effective in controlling gingivitis (Safiaghdam et al., 2018). Ellagic acidis the primary component that gives pomegranate its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties (Asgary et al., 2017). Photo by Jessica Lynn. 

Golden Root, (Rhodiola rosea L.)

Rhodiola rosea L. is also known as the golden root or arctic root. The roots of this medicinal plant (known for its rose-like scent) has a neuroprotective effect that can help treat neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease (Nabavi et al., 2016). Rhodiola rosea L.can also aid in the treatment of fatigue,headaches, and depression (Jurica & Koupa, 2016). Not only that, but the golden root has many healing properties; such as boosting immunity and DNA repair (Li et al., 2018). Further studies should investigate how this plant aids in the treatment of various cancers. Rhodiola rosea L. holds the most promise in the treatment of urinary bladder cancer. Photo via svalbardflora.no.

Marsh mallow (Althaea officinalis L.)

Althaea officinalis L. is a white flowering plant indigenous to Europe. There is substantial evidence thatAlthaea officinalis L. improves dry cough (Mahboubi, 2021). Studies with rats demonstrate Marsh mallow aiding in wound healing (Mohsenikia et al., 2020). This plant also exhibits antibacterial, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects (Rezaei et al., 2015). A study using cold and warm compresses showed improvement in breast engorgement in lactating females (Khosravan et al., 2017). Althaea officinalis L. is promising in the treatment of Parkinson’s disease; such studies have illustrated the plant’s neuroprotective mechanisms. For instance, one study demonstrated how this plant protected the neurons of substantia nigra pars compacta against toxicity. Substantia nigra pars compacta is a cluster of dopaminergic neurons found in the human midbrain responsible for dopamine activity. In Parkinson’s disease, large numbers of neurons in the substantia nigra are damaged; which in turn decreases dopamine levels substantially. This in turn impairs balance, movement, along with other motor symptoms seen in Parkinson’s disease (Rezaei & Alirezaei, 2014).Marsh mallow, pomegranates, and golden root are just three of the thousands of plants with health benefits. Researching peer-reviewed articles and studies about plants with medicinal values is valuable as knowledge of these natural resources can help soothe ailments such as coughs and fatigue. Precaution towards excessive consumption should be practiced as toxicity levels vary throughout species and conditions.

References

Asgary S, Keshvari M, Sahebkar A, Sarrafzadegan N. Pomegranate Consumption and Blood Pressure: A Review. Curr Pharm Des. 2017;23(7):1042-1050. doi: 10.2174/1381612822666161010103339. PMID: 27748197.
 
Eltay EG, Gismalla BG, Mukhtar MM, AwadelkarimMOA. Punica granatum peel extract as adjunct irrigation to nonsurgical treatment of chronic gingivitis. Complement Ther Clin Pract. 2021 May;43:101383. doi: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2021.101383. Epub 2021 Apr 2. PMID: 33862350.
 
Juřica J, Koupá T. Rozchodnice růžová a její neuropsychotropní účinky [Rhodiola rosea and its neuropsychotropic effects]. Ceska Slov Farm. 2016 Summer;65(3):87-93. Czech. PMID: 27854435.
 
 
Khorasani F, Aryan H, Sobhi A, Aryan R, Abavi-Sani A, Ghazanfarpour M, Saeidi M, Rajab Dizavandi F. A systematic review of the efficacy of alternative medicine in the treatment of nausea and vomiting of pregnancy. J Obstet Gynaecol. 2020 Jan;40(1):10-19. doi: 10.1080/01443615.2019.1587392. Epub 2019 Jun 19. PMID: 31215276.
 
Khosravan S, Mohammadzadeh-Moghadam H, Mohammadzadeh F, Fadafen SA, Gholami M. The Effect of Hollyhock (Althaea officinalis L) Leaf Compresses Combined With Warm and Cold Compress on Breast Engorgement in Lactating Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2017 Jan;22(1):25-30. doi: 10.1177/2156587215617106. Epub 2015 Nov 23. PMID: 26603219; PMCID: PMC5871197.
 
Li Y, Pham V, Bui M, et al. Rhodiola rosea L.:an herb with anti-stress, anti-aging, and immunostimulating properties for cancer chemoprevention. Curr Pharmacol Rep. 2017;3(6):384-395. doi:10.1007/s40495-017-0106-1Mahboubi M. Marsh Mallow (Althaea officinalis L.) and Its Potency in the Treatment of Cough. Complement Med Res. 2020;27(3):174-183. English. doi: 10.1159/000503747. Epub 2019 Nov 26. PMID:31770755.
 
Mohsenikia M, Rafiee S, Rozei LS, Ebrahimi A, Zahmatkesh-Meimandi F, Aref NM, Nematollahi P, Mirlohi MS, Soleymani A, Zaree H, Ashkani-Esfahani S. Althaea officinalis improves wound healing in rats: a stereological study. Drug Discov Ther. 2020Nov 4;14(5):239-242. doi: 10.5582/ddt.2020.03056. Epub 2020 Oct 29. PMID: 33116035.
 
Nabavi SF, Braidy N, Orhan IE, Badiee A, Daglia M, Nabavi SM. Rhodiolarosea L. and Alzheimer’s Disease: From Farm to Pharmacy. Phytother Res. 2016 Apr;30(4):532-9. doi: 10.1002/ptr.5569. Epub 2016 Jan 11. PMID: 27059687.
 
Rezaei M, Alirezaei M. Protective effects of Althaea officinalis L. extract in 6-hydroxydopamine-induced hemi-Parkinsonism model: behavioral, biochemical and histochemical evidence. J Physiol Sci. 2014 May;64(3):171-6. doi: 10.1007/s12576-014-0305-z. Epub 2014 Jan 25. PMID: 24464760.
 
Rezaei M, Dadgar Z, Noori-Zadeh A, Mesbah-Namin SA, Pakzad I, Davodian E.Evaluation of the antibacterial activity of the Althaea officinalis L. leaf extract and its wound healing potency in the rat model of excision wound creation. Avicenna J Phytomed. 2015 Mar-Apr;5(2):105-12. PMID: 25949951; PMCID: PMC4418059.
 
Safiaghdam H,Oveissi V, Bahramsoltani R, Farzaei MH, Rahimi R. Medicinal plants for gingivitis: a review of clinical trials. Iran J Basic Med Sci. 2018 Oct;21(10):978-991. doi: 10.22038/IJBMS.2018.31997.7690. PMID: 30524670; PMCID: PMC6281068.
 
Shaygannia E, Bahmani M, Zamanzad B, Rafieian-Kopaei M. A Review Study on Punica granatum L. J Evid Based Complementary Altern Med. 2016 Jul;21(3):221-7. doi: 10.1177/2156587215598039. Epub 2015 Jul 30. PMID: 26232244.
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